Duty
by verynahcewritings
Summary: I had never expected that she could be so cold, off-putting, and generally unpleasant; her every word, action, and facial expression irritated me. Rated T just to be safe. Kataang.Oneshot


**Holy poop! It's been a really long time! This one has been a long time coming, just ask KG. I'm not sure just how much I like this one, to be honest.**

**There is a little bit that involves Toph, but before you say anything about it not really making much sense, think in terms of Toph's character/personality. When it comes to problem solving or getting involved in other people's business, I see Toph as being the kind to not say much, but to listen and offer limited responses, allowing you to solve the problem on your own through internal debate in a sense. Maybe that's just me.**

**As with all of my stories, italicized words are thoughts or flashbacks.  
**

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I had never expected that she could be so cold, off-putting, and generally unpleasant; her every word, action, and facial expression irritated me. I didn't deserve the bitter taste she left in my mouth after our every encounter, I had done nothing wrong; every moment we spent together had been replayed in my mind over and over again; there was no single instance of any offense that might have been exchanged. I was at a loss.

Her actions over the course of the morning had pushed me to the breaking point, I offered her no explanation, I simply grabbed my glider and walked out the door.

_Her first act of the day had been to smile up at me as I stood up and stretched, I smiled back at her, perhaps more exuberantly than was really necessary; her lips very rarely turning up at the corners for me, I couldn't help but to feel hopeful, to think that today might be the day things changed. _

_I watched her face change almost instantaneously, her bright eyes dimmed, and her smile faded, the warmth in my heart along with it. She rolled over onto her side, turning her back to me. 'Katara, look at me, please.' My words were rough and strained._

'_Not now, Aang, not this early in the morning.' She made no attempt to move; her shape seemed more solid, the pale blue light of the early morning splayed out across her skin. I sat down next to her and put a cautious hand on her shoulder. She shrugged my fingers off violently, flinging herself out of bed and across the room._

'_What part of that did you not understand? I don't want to talk to you, Aang.' I stood up, my heart heavy, but my feet full of determination. I crossed the room in one step, my nose an inch from hers._

'_I don't understand any of this, Katara. You're acting like a child,' her eyes narrowed, she pursed her lips and began taking a step backwards, towards the door. My hands wrapped around her arms, holding her in place. The way my fingers still tingled at the contact with her skin even in my anger amazed me, softened me up._

'_Talk to me, please. Tell me what I'm doing wrong,' I pleaded. Her eyes began to fill with tears, she looked away from me, the floor suddenly becoming more interesting. She shook her head, her hair tickling my arms._

'_You aren't doing anything wrong.' The words came out barely above a whisper._

'_If I'm not doing anything wrong, then why are you not happy? Why are we not happy?'_

'_I don't want to talk about this, Aang.' Her voice now full of force, her strength returned to her, and she pulled her arms free of my hands. She walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, pulling out a cup and pumping herself a bit of water._

'_Kat, please,' I made an effort to keep the irritation out of my voice, my fingertips brushed against her free ones. She slammed the cup back down on the counter and gave me a dirty look. An exasperated sigh escaped from her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest._

'_Stop, Aang, I'm not going to say it again.' My brows furrowed, my eyes focused on where her hand had been a moment ago, on her hands that were bending the water she had spilt back into her cup._

'_Why am I not allowed to touch you? At least answer that.' Her fists clenched, her eyes scrunched closed; what was left of the water in the cup turned to ice; a tear ran down her cheek._

'_I can't do this anymore, things aren't how they used to be.' She turned away from me again, the rigid form of her back quickly becoming my best friend._

'_No kidding.'_

'_You don't understand.'_

'_I'm trying to, but you won't help me.'_

'_I can't handle you, this, us.'_

'_Katara, please, tell me what I did wrong,' my arms wrapped around her waist in my desperation, I had to hold on, I couldn't let her go. _

'_Get off of me, Aang.' She tried to shrug me off, tears building beneath my lids; I shook my head, my face burrowing in to her hair. Her body began to shake, salty streaks stained her cheeks and dampened my forearms. _

'_Aang, you're hurting me, can you not see that?' I let go of her immediately._

'_My touch causes you pain?'_

'_You have no idea.' She had yet to look at me._

'_Am I being too rough with you? I can fix it.' I was pleading with her, begging, getting nowhere; she was shaking her head again._

'_Tell me, Kat. Talk to me, please.'_

_She walked away from me, and out the back door, her form silhouetted by the rays of the rising sun. I didn't know rather to cry or to scream; running away seemed like the better option._

I hadn't seen her in six days. I didn't go very far, I couldn't be away from her for very long anymore regardless; she was what made my every day worth all of the pain I've gone through.

Pain; her words still cut away at my heart, I needed an answer.

When I walked through the front door, it looked as though nothing had changed. She had left her cup of tea from that morning on the counter. The pillows in our sitting room floor were still strewn across the floor as they had been when I had left. I wasn't sure that she was even in the house until I heard a noise coming from the back bedroom.

I could hear voices, the sounds drifting down the hallway and into my ears; her distress resonating through her every word.

I barely made a sound as I closed the gap between the door, pressing my ear gently to the seam; her sadness ever more clear; "He's gone, Toph." If it was Toph she was talking to, then the earth bender was undoubtedly aware of my presence; I was grateful for her silence.

"Do you think he'll come back?"

"He won't; I pushed him away."

"Isn't that what you wanted?"

"I don't know anymore," she said barely above a whisper, "but this is probably for the best."

"Probably." I couldn't help but to shake my head at her response, even though I had no real idea what they were referring to; anything that took me away from my home was definitely not for the best.

"He won't have any distractions this way; I won't be there to hold him back anymore." I frowned at her response; she had thought herself to be a nuisance.

"Right." Again I shook my head at her words.

I held my breath, waiting to hear more, wanting to understand what was going through her mind. It felt like an eternity had passed before she spoke.

"I'm going to miss him," her words were beginning to catch in her throat. Toph made a noise in agreement. My heart hurt at the thought of her letting me go.

"It really is for the best though."

"Is it really, Katara?"

"Of course it is. He's the Avatar, Toph. His duties are first and foremost to the world, he can't focus on what is truly important if he has to divide his attention between his relationship with me and the people of the nations. It has to be this way." She didn't sound as though she had even been able to convince herself of this, let alone anyone else. She began to cry.

"He just left so easily, I figured it would take me years to convince him," she managed to force out those words between sobs, the sounds hitting me straight in the chest. I opened the door without hesitation and quickly pulled her shaking form into my arms before she had the time to register what had happened. My mind registered a wink and a sly smile half hidden beneath a sheet of black hair from the corner of the room before quickly disappearing out the door.

She began to weep, burying her wet face into my neck, muttering mixed apologies that were barely recognizable. I held her close to me, rocking her form back and forth, running my fingers through her dampened hair, trying to calm her down.

"Katara, please stop crying," I pleaded; she only began to cry harder at the sound of her name. It was not often that she let this much weakness come forth. It was not often that she needed someone else to be strong for her.

"I'm not going anywhere, Katara, please know that, learn it, remember it, and keep that in your thoughts always. You will never be able to get rid of me, no matter the reason." She shook her head in response, rubbing her tears into my skin.

"My duty is to the world, you're right." She pulled away and looked me in the eyes; red-rimmed and still full of tears.

"That's why I can't have you. That's why it hurts me to be touched by you." Her eyes traced my features, her lips tilted downward in despair. I frowned at her and shook my head, reaching out with my fingers to touch her face, brushing the tears from her cheeks.

"My duty is to the world," I said again, "but you forget, my lovely, wonderful, stubborn girl, that you are a part of that world, too." Her lips were beginning to turn upwards.

"You are what brings me clarity, and what provides me with what is most beautiful in life." My fingers played with the end of her hair.

"I need you, Katara," her eyebrows furrowed a bit, "so that I am always reminded of what it means to love, and be loved, because that's what I want to preserve more than anything in this world; through all of the changes and differences. Love, Katara. That's what will bring us all together."

The smile that lit up her face nearly brought me to tears; a smile that brought the spark that I so adored back into her azure eyes. She threw her arms around my neck, and pulled me flush with her body, her warmth enveloping me, my face buried in her hair. "I'm so sorry, Aang." I shook my head slightly, my nose burrowing further into her chocolate locks.

"I'm done trying to be unselfish. I can't do it. I was going to go searching for you as soon as Toph left; I would have looked everywhere for you, even if you didn't want me anymore." I let out a chuckle, and shook my head at her again, pulling away from her so I could see her face.

"I never left." My hands cradled the sides of her precious face, my lips brushed against her nose. Her lashes rested comfortably on her cheeks; her lips tugged up at the corners in a blissful smile.

"I will never leave." My lips met with hers for the first time in months. It was as though they had never been apart.

"My duty is to the world," I kissed her again, "to protect it," again, "to cherish it," and again, "you are my world."

Her naked flesh touched mine for the first time in months, and it was as though they had never been apart.


End file.
